Luke Walton hired as assistant at Memphis

While he was injured two seasons ago, Luke Walton served as a quasi-assistant instead of simply being a spectator on the Lakers bench. That time served will come in handy now.

Walton has been hired (pending approval by the university and state board of regents) as an assistant coach at University of Memphis for the duration of the NBA lockout.

Josh Pastner announced Monday. Walton's hiring is pending approval of the University and Tennessee State Board of Regents.

"Luke is going to bring great excitement and great energy to the Tigers program, and we're thrilled to have him," Memphis coach Josh Pastner said. "Luke is someone who has not only played for but also learned from arguably one of the greatest coaches in basketball history in Phil Jackson.

"... Luke will be a great coach because he brings a wealth of knowledge and a winning attitude to the Tigers program. His experiences, which include playing in four NBA Finals and winning two NBA World Championships, are lessons that he can share with our players to help them grow and develop their games."

Walton recently said he had no interest in playing overseas like many NBA players while the two sides hammer out a new collective bargaining agreement and this is one way of biding his time.

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